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Big Old Bias Knit Scarf

There is a real elegance to knitting on the bias, a.k.a. knitting diagonally. While it’s just a matter of increasing on one edge of your work while decreasing at the same rate on the other edge, it elevates something like basic garter stitch with such simplicity. And that’s exactly what I was going for with the Big Old Bias Knit Scarf – a beginner-friendly project that looks so clean and well put together!

You can make this scarf as long or as short as you want, and it’s also an ideal project for using up yarn ends. In fact, I made this with the yarn I had leftover after knitting the Yipes Stripes Cowl by Ann Weaver. I’d had the ends in my stash for about a thousand (or two if I’m not being dramatic) years, and while I’d initially intended to knit some matching mittens or a hat to go with that cowl, it just never took shape. The 5 color combo of a rich pink, dark and light blues, cream, and a green-yellow were calling my name, so I decided to liberate them from my stash and work on a little something for the heck of it. I knit the pictured Big Old Bias Knit Scarf almost exclusively in the dark while at the movies (I’m one of those weirdos, I know.), which means this scarf is great for intermediate & advanced knitters looking for a palette cleanser or mindless project. It’s also great for beginners wanting to try bias knitting for the first time. You just need to know how to knit, make 1 right, and knit two together. And to finish it off, just add some tassels. Fun fun fun!

Before you begin, determine your color sequence, and assign them letter names A through E (or more or less if you’re working with more or fewer than 5 colors of yarn). As you work this pattern, you’ll change the color you’re working with as desired, but no matter how many rows you work of a given color, sticking to your color sequence (A B C D E A B C D E A B C D E, etc.) helps ensure a consistent look.

To keep color changes clean on the right side of your scarf, only change the color you’re working with at the beginning of a right side row.

It’s easy to make wonky tassels. I recommend watching this tutorial on how to make perfect tassels every time. Here’s another tip I use to ensure my tassels are a consistent thickness: Count the number of wraps you make around your cardboard or tassel maker. For the pictured scarf, I wrapped each color of my yarn around my 4.75″ tassel maker ten times, for a total of 50 wraps per tassel.

Tie off two of your tassels with the same color yarn as your CO color (Clr A), and attach those two tassels to the CO end of your scarf. Use the BO color (Clr E if you stuck to a consistent A B C D E color repeat sequence) to tie off the other two tassels, and attach them to the BO end of your scarf. Doing this ensures that the yarn you’re using to attach your tassels to your scarf match the stripe(s) of color they’re being woven in to. You’ll notice in the photos, if you look closely, that the tassels at the pink end of my scarf are tied with pink yarn, and the tassels at the cream end are tied with cream.

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a knitting, crochet and crafts designer. She first learned to knit at age 8 from a grandmother who saw in her a need for something to keep her busy. She's now a full time designer, video host, blogger & teacher. You can keep up with her designs and more by following handsoccupied on your favorite social network.

Since it’s garter stitch, you can CO any number of sts greater than 5, but you’ll have to adjust the pattern. The k26 in row 1 & k23 in row 2 will need adjusted accordingly depending on how much you change the stitch count. 👍🏻

Yep, that’s what I did, but if you make narrower stripes you can carry the unused colors up the sides if you like! :) The neat edges are the result of slipping the first stitch of every row, forming a chain edge. It’s a design feature I’m particularly fond of! <3 -Heidi

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Hi! I’m Heidi Gustad, and I’m a yarn crafts designer and blogger, partial to primary colors, vintage style and most needlecrafts. Along with two designer friends, I co-host The Very Serious Crafts Podcast. My first book is set to be released in the fall of 2020.